Hundred
by jakelsx
Summary: .troyella. And for once, Gabriella Montez wished she was wrong.


**Hundred**

_So this is where you are_

_  
And this is where I am_

_  
Somewhere between_

__

Unsure and a hundred

-The Fray

It was ruined.

After how many times he messed up, she finally couldn't take it anymore.

After how much effort she put into him, he still didn't get it.

How can anyone be this narrow-minded?

And for once, Gabriella Montez wished she was wrong.

"I don't get it, Gabriella," Troy said desperately. He chased her down the street. She was practically running back to her house after the dynamic argument. She had said to him once that they didn't have fights, they had arguments. "Gabriella!" She walked a little faster. "Gabs, at least let me walk you home. It's late; I don't want anything—"

"Troy," she said, whipping her body around, "just leave me alone. I'll be fine."

"I didn't mean what I said in there. I can make us right again, just watch—"

"You can make us right? We were wrong?" She took a timid step closer to him as the tears in her eyes threatened to fall down to her trembling lips. "Were we wrong to you, Troy?"

He had never seen her like this before. In the three years that he's known her, he's never seen her in this fragile of a state. But she was beautiful.

"We weren't… I was kidding—"

"Were you kidding all those times you said you loved me?" She searched his eyes for a response. When she didn't get one, she turned around and started walking back to her mom's house again. They were on winter break in their first year of college. He stayed in Albuquerque and she moved out to New Haven to study medicine but they swore that they would see each other as much as possible. So here she was, in New Mexico, visiting him.

"Gabi, don't leave," Troy said. She ran to catch up with her and tried to take her hand. She violently ripped it away.

"Leave me alone," she said again. "I'll call you when I land."

"Land? What? Gabriella, you can't be leaving New Mexico already," he said.

"Just go away, Troy."

"Tell me you love me first."

She stopped slowly, him following. When she turned to face him, he took a good look at her just to imprint her facial features, her face into his memory out of fear that he might not see her anytime soon.

She looked into his eyes but this time it was like they were fogged up. She couldn't see the Troy Bolton she once loved with all her heart. All she saw was a hotshot basketball player who still didn't know right from left.

"I love you," she said. Her voice was strained and almost deadpanned. It just didn't come out.

He was taken aback. For a moment, he lost balance. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't comprehend how dead her voice sounded when only a few months ago she said those words with such passion. She always said that love wasn't something that can be given out casually.

She let out a crude laugh. "Are you happy now?" she asked. She hugged herself.

Troy, out of instinct, quickly took off his sweat jacket leaving him in only an undershirt and sweat pants and handed it to her. She looked at the jacket that she had worn many times before, and then turned away.

Troy's heart broke as he watched her turn the corner.

He let the jacket slip from his numb fingers and stumbled back into his house.

--

How can someone be so immature?

Gabriella wondered this as she shook with cold and anger. It was nighttime in the winter in Albuquerque and she was in a tank and sweat pants.

Suddenly, she wished she had Troy's arms around her again.

But then the thought quickly faded away, like a distant memory.

_You do not miss him._

--

Troy rubbed his eyes over and over, attempting to clear the tears. He wasn't supposed to cry. He couldn't.

He had been staring at the clock for almost five hours, waiting for a call from her. It was five in the morning.

When the phone rang, he pressed it to his ear frantically. "Gabriella?"

"No, it's Ms. Montez," a warm voice said. Maybe this was where Gabriella got her morning personality from. "I was wondering if Gabriella was over at your house."

Troy's eyes squinted as if to try to remember the unforgettable things that had happened a couple of hours ago. Then panic filled his body. "No, she isn't," he said. "Wait, she isn't at home?"

"No," Ms. Montez said, now equally worried. "That's why I called. What happened?"

"She was walking back home," Troy said anxiously.

"Did you walk her? How late was it?"

"It was almost one in the morning. I didn't… I didn't walk her." Now, listening to his own words, he felt even more terrible.

"Oh my god, Troy," Ms. Montez said, half out of disbelief and half out of worry. "I'll call the police."

"What do I do?"

Ms. Montez sighed into the phone. "I think you've done enough." Click.

Troy set down the phone and finally broke down. What could've happened to her? Oh, god, what did I do?

Sobs broke his once brave, stable body into pieces.

Ruined.

He ran out the door madly and grabbed the jacket he left on the street.

He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know what he was thinking. All he did was run. Running soon led him to a dead end, though.

He was facing the pond in the park.

It was her favorite place to be in the morning. She always dragged him there.

He broke down again, crying hysterically. He had never cried so much in his life. Yet, now, for this girl, he poured his entire heart out. Could this be his fault? If she had gotten lost or worse, kidnapped, could it be his fault?

The answer, he knew, was yes.

He suddenly felt sick. He doubled over as if somebody had just socked him in the stomach. His breath still came feverishly. Tears still ran down his face. He couldn't feel anything.

Meanwhile, Gabriella was walking around the park. No one was really there at five AM. There were a couple of joggers here and there but aside from that, it was peaceful. The sun was just about to come up, emitting a soft glow about the area. The grass still had a fair amount of dew on it; just enough so that it would sparkle when the light hit it. It was perfect and she was serene.

Earlier that morning, she was steaming mad. She couldn't even see straight.

How stupid to let all of your insecurities away for one boy! Stupid!

He didn't love her. He didn't. If he did, he wouldn't have said those things.

Oh, how she wished she was wrong.

She shoved every memory away from her but the one thing she just couldn't come to get rid of was the necklace. The "T" necklace that he had given her the end of junior year she couldn't tear it off and toss it. When she looked at it, all she could see was Troy and the times she spent with him. It was so retarded and she wished she wasn't still in love but she was.

So when she saw him collapsed on the ground at her favorite spot, she couldn't stop her heart from breaking.

He looked so childish on the ground breaking. His cries came out like small yelps and his body shook with every breath.

She quietly came up behind him.

And she wrapped his arms around him.

He felt small arms come around his shoulders and for a moment, he thought his was going to be attacked. But then he recognized the touch of his love and relaxed. It didn't catch on for a long time. He kept on crying despite the soft, angelic voice in his ear, "Shh, shh," she whispered.

Anyone passing by would've looked at them curiously. Gabriella was hunched over Troy from behind while he was sitting on the ground with his body shaking erratically.

None of that mattered. People's opinions hadn't mattered for a long time.

When he finally stopped shaking, Gabriella moved in front of him.

She didn't know what changed but just seeing him like was the most heart-wrenching thing that had ever happened to her. She put a warm hand on his tear-stained face and gave a small smile.

"I-I'm so sorry," Troy said immediately. He grabbed her hand and held it like the world was ending. "I just… I didn't know what I was saying. I should've thought it through. I should've been a whole lot more mature. I'm sorry." He was chaotically trying to find words that summed up his feelings. "When your mom called and said that you weren't at your house, I just… I just lost it. I was so fucking worried, Gabriella. So was your mom."

"I think I should be apologizing too," she sighed, squeezing his fingers. She missed how his skin felt against hers. "I'm sorry for running off like that and scaring all of you."

When she rubbed her arms, he took off his jacket again. He held it out and this time she took it. She could feel his warmth overwhelming her small body as she put on the jacket that was too big for her.

He smiled as she dug her face into the sleeve.

"Hey, the real thing's right here," he said playfully. She looked up at him and smirked.

Now, when she looked into his eyes again, everything was how it was. She could pick out the crystal blue shades that just seemed to draw her in and more importantly, she saw all the reason she loved him.

He reached forward and grabbed her waist. She let out a small giggle and fell on top on him.

He pressed his body closer to his. He couldn't believe she was here.

"Oh, god I was so worried about you," he said again as she rubbed her nose against his.

She giggled.

"I love you," she said again, voice breaking with passion.

"Love you too," he returned.

He was somewhere between unsure and a hundred but he was coming closer.

* * *

AN/ hate those corny endings... don't own HSM or The Fray


End file.
